A LONG-running drainage project at Success Hill Reserve is nearing completion, with the Town of Bassendean confirming works are expected to finish within the next two to three weeks.

The Success Hill drainage diversion project is intended to permanently manage surface water runoff from an upstream residential catchment and replace a temporary drainage pipe at the foreshore.

Installation of a high-density polyethylene pipe along Eighth Avenue was completed before the Christmas break, with crews now installing a concrete pipe along Anzac Terrace.

The town said once pipe installation is complete, tidy-up and reinstatement works would begin at Kelly Park and Success Hill Reserve, with verges along Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue returned as closely as possible to their pre-construction condition.

Traffic management remains in place on Eighth Avenue and Anzac Terrace, with the town thanking residents and park users for their patience while the works are carried out.

The current design follows community concern raised in mid-2025 about an earlier proposal that would have significantly altered the topography of Success Hill Reserve.

Friends of Success Hill Reserve member Jane Bremmer had warned the original concept would reduce public open space and pose risks to a registered Aboriginal heritage site.

She welcomed the revised approach when construction began in November.

“(I’m) so glad that the Town of Bassendean agreed that the original plans needed a rethink and chose this option instead of a plan that would have changed the entire topography of this place, risking cultural heritage and further damage to this registered sacred site that has already suffered so much historically,” she said.

Ms Bremmer previously said the earlier design would convert part of the southern grassy area of the reserve into an above-ground stormwater sump, reducing recreation space and affecting how families and Noongar community members use the area.

Following discussion at an ordinary council meeting, the town decided not to proceed with that plan.

“A great leap forward for the preservation of this sacred site and precious public open space,” Ms Bremmer said.